


hope is the thing with feathers

by Skylar102



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Cat!Magnus, Fluff, Happy Ending, Humor, I promise, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Light Angst, M/M, Magnus is a little shit, Winged Magnus Bane, but alec still loves him, but not the main focus of the fic, ehh its close enough, even though its technically 4+1, feathers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:34:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23740156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skylar102/pseuds/Skylar102
Summary: Alec takes in a stray cat and gets more than he bargained for
Relationships: Magnus Bane & Alec Lightwood
Comments: 22
Kudos: 137
Collections: Wingo Summer





	hope is the thing with feathers

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Mystery Feathers
> 
> alright so it's technically a 4+1 but hey I don't make da rules
> 
> I wrote this in one day which is a hella accomplishment for me so I hope y'all enjoy!!
> 
> Title taken from an Emily Dickenson quote. Literally googled feather quotes and that's what showed up. It's Emily Dickenson so I hope it's a good quote lol

It’s dark out by the time Alec leaves his job at the coffee shop. He doesn’t know why he agreed to pull a double shift at a place that is open from 6am to 9pm, but he’s in desperate need for the extra cash. If working overtime a few days a week helps him out, he will gladly take the hours where he can. Alec locks the door behind him and begins the trek through the alley towards his apartment. 

He’s happy that he found a place to work so close to his one bedroom apartment. He puts one ear bud in and with low volume on, puts on a podcast to fill the silence. He’s not dumb enough to completely block out the world, especially walking down an alley by himself at night in Manhattan.

Alec is almost at the end of the alley when he hears what sounds like a fluttering of feathers followed by what is the saddest meow he’s ever heard. He stops the trek to his apartment and follows the noise of the meows. He peeks his head around a dumpster and sees a cat with fur black as the night surrounded by grey feathers. The cat mewls again this time walking towards him. 

“Hey little guy.” Alec crouches down to the cat's level, holding out his hand in front of him. “Are you okay? You were making a lot of noise.” Alec watches the cat sniff his hand curiously before rubbing its tiny head against his fingers. Alec smiles as he lets the cat rub itself against his hand. He looks behind the cat at the feathers on the ground and comes to the conclusion the cat was chasing after a pigeon but lost its prey. “Did your meal for the night escape?”

The responding meow is all the answer he needs. Looking at the cat who is now between his crouched legs rubbing up against him with loud purrs, Alec knows what he’s going to do. Maybe he’ll regret it, but he can’t just leave the cat alone in the alley. He picks up the cat slowly just in case it doesn’t like being held. When he feels no struggle, he stands up cradling the cat in his arms. He doesn’t like how he can feel the cat’s bones so easily. The purring feels louder with the cat pressed against his chest. Smiling, Alec turns and continues back on his way to his apartment. 

“Let’s get some food in you huh?”

* * *

Alec kind of regrets his decision on keeping the cat, now properly named Loki, in his apartment. He knew the trouble that would come with taking in an adult stray off the street, but didn’t think it would be _this_ much trouble. 

Alec sighs as he looks down at the destroyed couch pillows on the ground. Both are completely torn open and the feathers are strewn about his living room. Loki sits on the couch licking his paws like he’s congratulating his claws on a job well done. 

It’s only been a few days since he brought the cat back to his apartment to give it some food. The cat chowed down on the bits of tuna Alec gave him and then proceeded to meow for more until he gave in. Loki had not stopped purring, rubbing up against him after the meal that he didn’t have the heart to put him back out on the streets. 

Staring at the carnage on the floor, he kinda wishes he wasn’t such a good person. Letting out a sigh, Alec leaving the mess on the floor and heading to the kitchen. He hears Loki let out a confused chirp and a familiar thump hitting the floor. He doesn’t have to look behind him to know that Loki is following him. 

Kneeling by the kitchen sink, he grabs a trash bag out of the cabinet below. Loki head butts his leg hard causing him to land on his butt. Loki climbs into his lap and meows for attention. Alec stares at the bundle of fur and can’t help but laugh. He runs a hand down Loki’s back. 

“I really can’t be upset with you,” he chuckles. He picks Loki up and carries him back to the living room, setting him down on the couch. 

Alec goes about picking up the feathers around the room. He grabs the two destroyed pillows off the ground. He gives them one last look before tossing them in the trash bag as well. Thankfully he had gotten the pillows at the thrift store so it wasn’t a huge loss. He ties up the bag and sets it next to the couch. He looks around the room one last time just in case he missed any feathers when a tearing noise is heard. He looks at the trash bag and sees that Loki has torn open the side and is playing with the small pile of grey and white feathers that has escaped the hole.

This is going to be a test of patience for sure. 

* * *

Alec wakes up to a sunlight room, which wouldn’t be strange if he didn’t know he closed his blinds before he went to bed last night. Looking at his sunlit wall, he sees the shadows of his curtains move followed by the sound of ripping fabric. He turns over in his bed and sees Loki halfway up the curtain trying to rip them in half but seems to have gotten stuck.

Loki tries to shake free from the curtain but his claws won’t release the fabric. He lets out a loud mewling scream that has Alec sighing as he pushes himself out of bed to go rescue Loki from the curtain’s clutches. 

“Okay, okay hold on,” Alec yawns as he walks towards the distraught cat. Loki tilts his head behind him and lets out a sad mewl. “That’s what you get for playing with things you shouldn’t.”

Alec calmly approaches Loki and wraps his hands around the cat’s stomach. Loki immediately squirms in his hold causing more damage to happen to the curtain as Alec tries to release him. A hind leg comes up and scratches his wrist causing Alec to let out a hiss of pain, but he doesn’t drop Loki.

Struggling for a few more minutes, Alec eventually untangles Loki from the curtains and watches as the cat hisses at the cloth before rushing out of the room. Alec can’t stop the laugh that comes out of his mouth even if he tried. Maybe he should think about getting the hyperactive cat some toys so he can protect his dwindling count furniture. 

Alec grabs at the pole holding the curtains up and slides the now shredded cloth onto the ground. It’s going to be a while before he can replace them which means sleeping in on his days off is no longer an option. Not with his window facing the sunrise. Alec looks at his bedroom door and sees Loki peeking his head in though quickly turns around and runs at seeing Alec stare. 

Alec chuckles at the sight. He bends down and picks up the destroyed cloth on the ground preparing it for the trash when he catches sight of some grey feathers on the ground. 

Guess he didn’t get all of the feathers from the couch pillows.

* * *

“Loki,” Alec calls out to the suspiciously empty apartment as he closes the front door behind him. “Where are you, bud?”

Alec doesn’t like how quiet it is. He hasn’t heard the apartment this quiet since the day before he brought Loki home. Not that he misses the quiet. Alec can’t deny that the little furball has brought a joy into his life that he hasn’t remembered feeling in years. All the havoc can’t be blamed on the cat either. 

The poor thing was homeless before Alec took him in. The stray was used to not being confined to the tiny box that is his apartment. The toys Alec brought for Loki seemed to do very little to stop the gremlin from going after his furniture, but they did help in stopping the destruction from happening so frequently.

Which is why he’s now suspicious of the quiet in his apartment. Normally Loki greets him at the door when he comes home from work. This is the first time in the two weeks he’s had the cat that he doesn’t see a blur of fur rushing to head butt his legs. 

“Loki,” Alec draws out this time. He checks the living room and finds nothing. Same thing with the bedroom, nothing. He quickly checks the bathroom even though he knows Loki wouldn’t be caught in there anymore. Loki learned the hard way that jumping into the shower with Alec was not a good idea and was quickly drenched in water. Alec winces at the memory of a panicked cat and sharp claws. Loki hasn’t gone to the bathroom since.

Closing the bathroom door, he hears a crash in the kitchen. Alec leans against the door, closing his eyes he lets out a long sigh. He should’ve checked the kitchen first. At the sound of another crash, Alec pushes himself off the door and makes his way to the kitchen.

Stepping into the room he sees shards of glass all over the floor and a slightly open cabinet that has a swishing black tail peeking out of it. The cabinet door pushes open a bit and another glass cup crashes to the ground.

“Loki!” Alec scolds causing the cat to jump in the cabinet. He hears more than sees Loki bump the shelf above him which causes the whole shelf to fall and send a waterfall of glass to the floor. Loki scrambles out of the shelf and runs across the countertop out of the room. Alec chases after the cat as it tries to evade him.

The cat tries to jump over the couch, but Alec grabs him just in time. Loki squirms in his hold and a low grumble emits from the cat’s chest.

“Hey, hey it’s okay,” Alec soothes, bringing Loki to his chest to try and calm the cat down. “You’re okay, it was an accident.” 

Loki seems to pause at those words, pushing out of the hold to look him in the eyes. Alec could swear the cat was looking at him incredulously. Alec pets Loki down his back to soothe the cat. 

“I need to check if you stepped on any glass, okay?” Alec speaks softly. “Will you let me check?”

Loki doesn’t make a move to get out of his hold and Alec takes that as a sign to turn the cat on his back. Sitting down on the couch, Alec checks each paw with a careful touch and a sharp eye, looking for any bleeding or glass in Loki’s fur. He lets out a sign of relief that he doesn’t find a single piece. 

“You sure know how to scare your owner don’t you,” Alec says as he releases the last paw. Looking up at Loki’s face, the cat’s head is tilted sideways like he’s trying to understand what Alec was doing. Alec can’t help but coo at the adorableness of it. Kissing Loki on the top of his head, he carries the cat to his bedroom and sets him down on the bed.

“Now stay here,” Alec says as he walks to the door. “I’ll let you out once I’ve made sure there’s no more glass on the floor.”

Alec hears a displeased meow as he closes the door behind him. The resounding thump against the door means he shut it just in time before Loki escaped. He ignores the clawing at the door and makes his way to the closet grabbing a broom, dustpan and the vacuum. He sets them down at the edge of the kitchen and goes to put on his work shoes, not wanting to risk slicing open his own feet. 

Grabbing the broom and dust pan, Alec goes about sweeping up as much of the glass as he can. The cries have gotten louder from his room and Alec continues to ignore them. If he let Loki out now, the chance of the cat hurting himself is too high. He’ll just have to deal with whatever carnage is waiting for him on the other side. 

Alec grabs the vacuum and does a triple sweep of the floor, making sure every corner is covered before he’s satisfied with the work. With one last glance at the kitchen, he grabs the bags of glass and makes his way to the dumpster outside. 

Entering back into the apartment, he doesn’t hear the cries for help from his bedroom anymore. Preparing for the worst, Alec opens the door to his bedroom and sees that Loki is sitting on his nightstand. Right next to a cup of water.

“Loki please,” Alec begs with the cat even though he knows the cat doesn’t understand him. 

Loki maintains eye contact with him as the cat knocks over the cup of water. The contents of the cup splash onto the ground creating a puddle of water on the floor. Loki meows once before jumping off the floor, making his way to a gobsmacked Alec. Loki rubs up against his leg and saunters out the room.

This cat is going to be the death of him. Alec grabs a towel out of the bathroom to clean up the mess. As he sets the towel on the ground he spots another grey feather on the floor. He picks it up and twirls it in his hands. 

“Guess I’m going to be finding feathers forever now,” he sighs.

* * *

Alec has almost forgotten what today was. He managed to convince his boss to allow him to do a double shift to make sure he was thoroughly distracted for the day. He knows he has missed calls from his family waiting for him when he gets home. Alec had almost made it through the entire day without thinking about it until he got home from his shifts.

It’s a slow process, entering his apartment. He goes about the motions of taking off his shoes and coat, hanging the item on the hook. Loki runs up to greet him like the cat normally does, but Alec isn’t in the mood to greet him back. 

He walks past Loki and makes his way to the kitchen. He hears an offended meow behind him as Loki catches up and runs between his legs to try and trip him up. Alec would normally scold the cat, but he just wants to eat his dinner and go to bed. Loki hops on the counter while he puts the leftovers in the microwave. Loki butts his head against his chest, purring loudly. Alec absentmindedly pets Loki waiting for his food. 

The microwave beeps and he makes his way to the living room with Loki right behind him. Plopping down on the couch, he turns the TV on to some random channel and eats. Loki hops up on the coffee table and begins to meow, but Alec ignores the cries. Loki eventually stops meowing and hops off the table. 

Alec is almost finished with his meal when he hears a clatter next to him. Looking over he sees Loki on the table that holds pictures of his family. Alec rushes to stand to stop the cat from doing any damage.

“Loki, get down from there,” he hisses at Loki as the cat makes his way across the table. Alec slowly approaches to make sure not to startle the cat. Sadly it does nothing to stop Loki from knocking over a specific frame and it crashes to the ground. It lands face down and Alec can hear the glass shatter on the other side. 

Alec quickly moves to the photo frame, ignoring Loki’s accomplished meows above him. He kneels on the ground staring at the downed frame. He can’t help the sob that escapes his mouth as he picks it up. Turning it over, he can’t stop the tears that fall as he looks at the photo of him and Max behind the cracked glass. 

It’s his most prized photo of him and his younger brother. Alec had decided to take Max to the amusement park for his 10th birthday. Max had begged Alec to take him on all the rides since he was tall enough. He had never seen his little brother that happy and excited for a birthday before. He remembers the absolute joy in his eyes as Max opened the gift from him and wrapping him in the tightest hug.

_“You’re the best big brother ever, Alec!”_

Shame that a mugger ripped his little brother from him in a matter of seconds. 

Alec cradles the frame to his chest as he cries alone in his apartment. The memories he tried to hide from that day flash in his mind. He forgets that he’s not alone until he feels a nudge at his thigh. Loki is looking at him with a tilted head. He unwraps one arm from the frame and pets Loki on his head giving the cat a gentle smile. 

“It’s okay,” Alec sniffles out. “You didn’t know.”

Alec pats Loki on the head one more time before standing up. He takes one last look at the broken frame and sets it down on the table. Leaving his abandoned dinner on the coffee table and the TV on, Alec makes his way to the bedroom. Stripping off his clothes down to his boxers and a tank top, Alec crawls into his bed. 

* * *

Alec lays in his bed staring out his bedroom window, looking out at the city. He tried to close his eyes and sleep but anytime he closed his eyes he was taken back to that day. 

_So much for going to bed_ , he thinks. 

Normally he would be worried about the silence of his apartment, but he doesn’t care what Loki gets into tonight. He’ll deal with it in the morning. He tries to close his eyes one more time and begs sleep to come. 

Alec hears a shuffling sound at the foot of his bed. He knows it’s Loki without having to even look. He hears the shuffling get close to his side of the bed. A muffled meow is heard that does get Alec to look this time. Glancing down at the cat, he sees that Loki has his favorite hoodie in his mouth. The cat must have dragged it from where he left it on the floor in the living room.

Loki drops it from his mouth and lets out a soft meow. Alec doesn’t know what the cat wants and just stares at the feline on the floor. Seeing Alec not react to the sweat shirt, Loki huffs and struts out of the bedroom like a cat on a mission. 

Not a minute later, Loki is back and this time with an arrow in his mouth. The cat must have snagged it from his quiver in the hallway closet. Though Alec is pretty sure that he closed it last time he was in there. Loki drops the arrow on top of the sweatshirt and looks at Alec like he’s waiting for a reaction. Alec looks at him in confusion and Loki lets out a sigh. The cat dashes out of the room again. 

Alec can’t stop the smile that’s slowly appearing on his face as he watches Loki waddle his way back into the bedroom with the living room blanket in his mouth. The blanket is ten times bigger than his body and the cat looks absolutely ridiculous trying to carry the blanket into the room. Loki lets out an accomplished meow as he drops the blanket on the ground next to the arrow and sweatshirt. 

Loki doesn’t give him time to say anything before the cat is out the door again. Alec waits with hidden glee to see what Loki brings him this time. He hears a loud thump followed by a shriek and a hiss. Alec has to hide his laughter under the blanket as he watches Loki drag the book he was in the middle of reading into the room. Loki tugs the book on top of the pile and nudges the cover closed with his paw. A grey feather flies out from the inside of the book causing Loki to jump back.

Alec can’t help but laugh at the absurdity taking place before him. Loki looks at him with pride at making him laugh. Alec pulls the covers off of him and reaches down to pick Loki up. Almost immediately the cat begins to purr and rub on any part of his body he’s able to. 

“Okay, okay,” Alec laughs as Loki doesn’t stop rubbing against him. He holds the cat out at arms length with a smile on his face. “Apology accepted.”

Loki lets out a soft meow and Alec cradles him against his body again. Tucking his legs under the covers again, he lays on his back and sets Loki on his chest. The cat sprawls across his torso letting out a loud purr. Alec can’t help but tilt his head up, kissing Loki on his head. He pets Loki as he drifts off.

“I don’t know what I would do without you,” he murmurs as his eyes finally shut. Last thing he hears is a tiny meow before falling into a dreamless sleep.

Hours later Alec is awoken to a weight on his chest. A heavy weight. Unless Loki ate all the food in the kitchen and got fat overnight, something else was in bed with him. Judging by the slow breaths he feels on his neck, that something is a person. 

Alec slowly opens his eyes to not disturb the person who has apparently broken into his apartment and sees a plethora of grey feathers in front of him, crowding his view of the room. He blinks at the sight and realizes he’s staring at wings. _Wings_. Alec follows the path of the feathers to the person they’re attached to and sees the most breathtaking man he’s ever seen before. The man’s hair is a mess and his makeup is a bit smudged but Alec can’t stop staring at the sleeping winged man before him.

Alec reaches out with the arm not trapped underneath the stranger and touches the wings. They’re soft, softer than Alec expects. Taking a closer look at the feathers, Alec realizes that these feathers are the one he’s seen around his loft for weeks. The man shifts on top of him rubbing his face into his neck. Alec stiffens at the press of lips he feels against his pulse.

The stranger lets out a groan and a sigh stretching his body. Alec watches as the wings expand and stretch in front of him and can’t stop the gasp that leaves his mouth at the sight. The body on top of him freezes, a clear sign that the man is now awake. The man slowly pushes his body up and stares at Alec with shocked golden cat eyes. 

“Loki?” Alec whispers out.

“Uh,” the man says uncomfortably. “Actually it’s Magnus.”

“Okay, Magnus. Why were you pretending to be a cat?” Alec winces at the question. He should’ve asked why the man was in his apartment and in his bed. He’s not fully awake to truly comprehend what’s happening in front of him. 

Magnus looks even more uncomfortable at the question, like he doesn’t want to answer it. The man debates with himself before giving up with a sigh and pushes himself into a sitting position with his wings tucked behind his back. Alec sits up as well, resting his back against the headboard.

“Originally?” Magnus tugs at his ear. “I became a cat to torment you and make you go crazy.” Alec eyebrows shoot up on his head. Magnus panics at the look and quickly continues. “I’m a trickster, it’s kind of in my DNA to mess with mundanes. I’ve been doing it for years making them go crazy that they’re no longer the person they were before.” Magnus sighs and slumps his shoulders.

“No matter what I did, you never got mad at me. You never yelled, kicked or threw anything at me. I tried everything I could to make you get angry, but all you did was make sure I was okay and that I didn’t hurt myself,” Magnus says as he fiddles with the rings on his hands. “And then I knocked over that picture frame and the way you reacted I thought I had finally broken you.” Magnus hangs his head in shame.

“But then you started crying and I wanted nothing more than to comfort you,” Magnus whispers out. “You’re the first person in centuries to treat me with kindness and patience that I was frustrated. All I could think was that there was no way that this mundane could be that kind. Be this gentle of a person.” Magnus huffed out a laugh. “Turns out it is possible,” Magnus smiles at him.

“You are the nicest person I have ever met, Alexander.”

Alec blinks at the man in front of him. The admission was a lot to take in. Loki is Magnus, Magnus is Loki. Alec knows he should be freaking out more. Maybe he could blame it on the emotional night and just waking up. He thinks back on everything that has happened since he took Loki/Magnus into his apartment and suddenly things start making a lot of sense. 

“So that’s why you freaked out so badly when you jumped in the shower with me,” Alec blurts out. Definitely not what he wanted to say and he can’t tell it’s not what Magnus is expecting either judging by the blush that appears on his face. 

“Ah yes, that,” Magnus says. “I wasn’t expecting you to be so attractive under all the loose sweaters that you wore and then I saw your, you know what and I guess I panicked?”

“You destroyed my shower curtains,” Alec laughs. Yeah, there’s something wrong with him. Magnus huffs, crossing his arms at being laughed at. Though that doesn’t hide how the blush gets redder on his cheeks.

“Well can you blame me? You’re a walking Adonis. It’s truly not fair to the people on this earth that you hide that kind of body underneath flimsy sweaters,” Magnus snaps while waving an arm in the direction of his closet. The wings behind the man scrunch up, like they’re also embarrassed. It’s quite adorable.

“So what happens now?” Alec asks. “Now that I know your secret, are you going to leave?”

Alec doesn’t want the answer to the question he’s asked. He realized last night how much Magnus’ cat form helped him be happy again. Something he never thought he’d feel again after his little brother’s death all those years ago. The cat was able to make him laugh, truly laugh for the first time in what felt like forever. Alec felt the need to care for himself again after allowing the cat to stay with him. He felt alive. His inner thoughts are interrupted by Magnus.

“I’d like to stay,” Magnus murmurs out like he’s afraid of the reaction the words will receive. “I will even stay in cat form for the rest of my time here. If you still want me around that is. I understand if you don’t.”

“No I,” Alec stutters out. “I want you to stay.” The smile that appears on Magnus’ face is as bright as the sun that drifts in through the window. Before Alec can think, Magnus launches at him, wrapping his arms around his neck. He’s frozen for a moment before returning the embrace. He can feel a slight purr emanate from Magnus’ chest and sees the grey wings curl around them.

“Thank you,” Magnus says in his ear. “I promise to never knock another glass over or tear up your furniture ever again, but I won’t say no to joining you in the shower again. Though with less claws.” Alec smiles into Magnus’ shoulder at the words. For once, his future looks brighter.

“Sounds like a deal.”

As the two make their way to the kitchen to make breakfast, Alec looks at the table and sees the picture of him and Max is fixed.

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Skylar10211)
> 
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> 
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